Game playing apparatus



Nov. 18, 1969 R. H. FRYER GAME PLAYING APPARATUS Filed May 27, 1968 FIG. 6

INVENTOR.

United States Patent 6 3,479,027 GAME PLAYING APPARATUS Robert Howard Fryer, Aberfoyle Mill, Aberfoyle, Ontario, Canada Filed May 27, 1968, Ser. No. 732,235 Int. Cl. A63f 9/00 US. Cl. 273--1 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Game apparatus comprising in combination a short garment or shoulder and chest harness capable of accommodating three Velcro or the like adhesive patches on the front thereof and three on the back thereof, and a set of playing pieces with different indicia each also having a complementary Velcro adhesive patch whereby the playing pieces may be attached to said garment or harness.

The present invention relates to a game, and has particular reference to the apparatus whereby the inventiveconcept which the game embodies, may be played.

A particular object and inventive characteristic of the present disclosure resides in the provision of sets of attaching elements adapted for positioning in the form of two sets of said elements, one upon the back of each player, and the other upon the front of that player, the elements of each set being spaced apart, and in combination with the foregoing, a multiplicity of distinguishably differing playing-pieces, said pieces having means thereon adapted and designed to facilitate their attachment and removal from said attaching elements by other players.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide player-wearable means to which the aforesaid sets of attaching elements may be secured so that such attaching elements will not have to be secured individually to the clothing of the players as for examples hooks might be secured by safety pins which would be cumbersome and inconvenient. In the playing of the game it is desirable for increasing its pace and hilarity to provide that the playingpieces may be attached and detached firmly and quickly, and it has been found that patches of the article or material known by the trade mark Velcro is well suited to the purpose. Accordingly patches of said Velcro are secured in spaced relationship upon the player-wearable means;

and complementary patches upon one side of the playing pieces.

It is another object of the invention to provide a game well calculated to warm up parties, particularly parties of young people, many of Whom do not know each other, thereby quickly to promote amicability, the invention being also designed to be capable of manufacture and distribution in large volume at low cost and with minimum tooling expense.

With the foregoing in view, and such other or further purposes, advantages or novel features as may become apparent from consideration of this disclosure and specification, the present invention consists of the inventive concept which is embodied in the construction and arrangement of parts herein exemplified in one or more specific embodiments of such concept, reference being had to the accompanying figures in which:

FIGURE 1 is a representation of the seven different playing pieces with which each player is initially provided,

the same consisting of two sets of three each and a single piece which the player retains all as hereinafter described. FIGURE 2 is a representation of one of the playing pieces showing a patch of Velcro secured thereto.

FIGURE 3 is a representation of a player equipped with one form of the player-wearable means in the form of an article of apparel encircling the back and shoulders.

Patented Nov. 18, 1969 FIGURE 4 is a perspective representation of another form of player-wearable means in the form of a strap overlying the players body horizontally, including a pair of shoulder suspenders.

FIGURE 5 is another form of player-wearable means in the form of a pair of shoulder straps and a horizontally disposed semi-rigid strap extending across the front of the body, it being understood that a similar strap extends across the back at the unseen opposite ends of the shoulder strap.

FIGURE 6 is another embodiment of player-wearable means for the attaching elements, in the form of a pair of strips of material extending over the players shoulders being united at the opposite ends thereof and converging downwardly from the shoulders at front and back in V- formation.

, FIGURE 7 is still another modification of player-wearable means in the form of a neck-encircling portion and two strips of material depending therefrom, one extending down the players front and the other down the playersback.

In the drawings, like characters of reference designate similar parts in the several figures.

By way of preliminary summary, it may be stated that the present invention consists of a game in which any number of players can participate providing there are enough attaching elements and enough distinguishably differing playing-pieces, the object of the game being to match the set of playing pieces attached to a players back with those upon the players front, the person who first achieves such matching being adjudged the winner. The playing of the game will be described in greater particularity hereinafter.

Proceeding therefore to describe the game playing apparatus, the same is to be understood as comprising a plurality of attaching elements 10, in combination with playing pieces 11. The attaching elements 10 might, cumbersomely comprise such as safety pins to which hooks are attached, the safety pins being atached to the clothing of the players, with apertures in the playing pieces to facilitate there being hung upon the hooks. Much to be preferred however is a player-wearable means at this point collectively designated 12 to which the attaching elements 11 are secure, it being understood that a preferred form of attaching element consists of patches of Velcro, of which one part 13 is specifically shown adhesively attached to the playing piece 14 in the accompanying FIG URE 2, the patch 15 being complementary to the patch 13 so that the playing piece 14 for example may very readily be contact attached to the player wearing the means 12, after another playing piece has been as readily removed therefrom according to the mode of play which will hereinafter be described.

The playing pieces 11 may distinguishably differ by being variously coloured. If only colour-difference is relied upon however, the scope of the game is limited, and also the number of players as will presently become apparent. The playing pieces 11 may accordingly if desired be differently shaped, either as well as or instead of being ferently coloured. Again, they may have sets of pictures thereon, as for example sets of animals, flowers, pictures of small mechanical parts. For infinite distinction each playing piece may also, or alternatively, be differently numbered.

The player-wearable means 12 may take the form of the article of preferably transparent apparel 16 depicted in the accompanying FIGURE 3, the same being preferably of plastic and consisting of an abbreviated form of cape. Upon the front of this cape, preferably at equi-spaced intervals in horizontal disposition are three Velcro patches and it is to be understood that there is a similar set of three Velcro patches on the backside of the cape.

In the accompanying FIGURE 4 the player-wearable means is in the form of a chest and back encircling strap 17, adjustable as to length as indicated at 18 and 19 according to the girth of the player, and shoulder straps 20. A set 21 of Velcro attaching elements 22 is disposed upon the front of strap 17, and another set 23 at the back.

FIGURE is a modification of player-wearable means comprising a pair of shoulder straps 24 but with a semirigid strip or strap 25 extending horizontally across the front of the body, and a similar strap, not shown, across the back at the ends of the shoulder straps. This form is similar to what has been described in association with the accompanying FIGURE 4 except that the members 25 do not completely encircle the body of the wearer.

In the accompanying FIGURE 6 there is shown another modification of player-wearable means for the accommodation of the sets of attaching elements 26. This takes the form of a pair of strips of material 27 which extend over the players shoulders, the strips being united at the opposite ends 28 thereof and converging downwardly from the players shoulders at front and back in V- formation, with each set of attachments 26 being secured, one to the front and one to the back side of the aforesaid arrangement of straps, and at least one attaching element 29 of each set should be secured at the point of union of the strips 27.

In the form of player-wearable means depicted in the accompanying FIG. 7 there is shown a neck encircling portion 30 from which depend two similar strips of material, one from the front and one from the back of the portion 30, only the front strip 31 being shown, from which it will be seen that the set of attaching elements 32 is disposed in vertical arrangement.

Having thus described the apparatus employed in playing the present game, its mode of performance will now be described. Initially, each player is handed seven different playing pieces such as the collection depicted in the accompanying FIGURE 1. It is now the requirement of each player that (assuming all players have donned their player-wearable means 12) they should circulate amongst each other and apply 6 of their seven playing pieces to the attaching elements 11, namely the three Velcro patches on the front and the three Velcro patches on the back, of each player.

The situation therefore is now that each player has attached to him six different playing pieces, three upon the back of that player and three upon the front. The remaining playing piece is retained by each player and at this point it may be stated that if desired, the collection of playing pieces initially given to each player will be distinguished according to whether that player is male or female. Specifically, a male player may be given a collection of seven pieces (or of six out of seven pieces) which may only permissably be placed on females. Females obviously will be given a collection which may only be placed upon males.

In any event, with each player only now holding one playing piece, the object of the game is to win by being the first to effect a transposition between the playing piece in hand, and a playing piece upon the person of another player such that such other player is found to have a set of playing pieces on his or her back which is identical with the set of playing pieces on his or her front, and in the same arrangement, i.e. red, white and blue, considered from left to right of the player wearing a set of playing pieces in this order on both front and back for example.

It is important to explain another rule of the game which is that after a set of six playing pieces have been affixed to all players, back and front, the preliminary phase of the game already described, thereafter transpositions may only be made as between the set of three playing pieces on a players front, and the playing piece singly held in hand by the player making the transposition. Accordingly players may be descriptively informed as to what set of playing pieces they have upon their back since they cannot see them themselves and in this way aid another player if they wish towards making the winning transposition, as well as themselves endeavouring to win by effecting the winning transposition.

From the foregoing it will be recognised that the invention is of a kind which would have particular application to amusement organisers of camps, at resort-hotel, or sea cruises and the like. Finally however it is to be noted that the present game and apparatus for playing the game has educational and re-educational value particularly perhaps for young children and the brain-damaged in view of the stimulus which it affords in pattern recognition, similarity and difference recognition, the memorising of numbers, alphabetical arrangements and the like.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for playing a game wherein a player applies interchangeable game pieces to the person of another player, said apparatus comprising an article of apparel adapted to be worn by a player, said article of apparel including front and back portions adapted to be located across the players chest and back respectively and also including transversely spaced upper portions connected to said front and back portions for suspending said article of apparel from the players shoulders, a plurality of attachment elements provided at transversely spaced points on said front portion and a plurality of attachment elements provided at transversely spaced points on said back portion of the article of apparel, and a plurality of game pieces separably and interchangeably attached to said attachment elements, the game pieces initially attached to said article of apparel being distinguishable from each other by different indicia.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said attachment elements comprises pieces of Velcro secured to the front and back portions of said article of apparel, said game pieces having coacting pieces of Velcro provided thereon.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said article of apparel comprises an abbreviated cape-type garment adapted to cover a players upper torso and shoulders.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said transversely spaced upper portions of said article of apparel are constituted by a pair of shoulder straps connected to said front and back portions.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said transversely spaced upper portions of said article of apparel are constituted by a pair of shoulder straps which have downwardly convergent lower .end regions secured together, the lower end regions of said straps constituting said front and back portions of the article of apparel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,846,224 8/1958 Roselle. 3,003,718 11/1962 Steinkamp.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner P. E. SHAPIRO, Assistant Examiner 

